University of California regents search for ‘legal ways’ to encourage/recruit potential minority students

The LATimes reports today that University of California regents, alarmed by a ‘significant’ drop in minority enrollment at some of their universities in recent years, have decided to conduct a study of the effects of the ten-year old California-voter approved Propostion 209. Larry Gordon with the LAT writes:

SAN FRANCISCO — Alarmed by declining numbers of African American students at UCLA and other campuses, University of California regents on Wednesday decided to study the effect of the state’s 10-year-old ban on affirmative action on UC admissions and student enrollment.

The inquiry, officials emphasized, will not focus on ways to overturn or subvert Proposition 209, the 1996 voter approved-measure that forbids consideration of race and gender in admissions and hiring decisions at the state’s public colleges and other institutions.

But by examining the initiative’s effects, UC may be able to figure out legal ways to recruit and admit more black and Latino students, the officials said.

“As we plan for the future, we must know if we are doing everything we can, within the legal parameters, to advance the excellence and diversity of the university,” said student regent Maria Ledesma, a UCLA graduate student in education who, along with regent Frederick Ruiz, proposed the study.

Whatever happened to gaining entrance into a university based on your merits? Why is that basic, simple conceptso hard for diversity-pushers to understand? Is having a ‘diverse’ student body more important than having students on campus who are there based not on whether they are black or Latino, but smart enough to be there in the first place? Natural diversity, where students of all shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds, and nationalities who meet the qualifications for entrance into a unversity, is perfectly fine – ideally, that’s how our system should operate. But thanks to do-gooders like Maria Ledesma, forced diversity at the expense of bending the rules for people who may not otherwise qualify is top priority. This is insulting to students who worked hard to get where they are without any special treatment, and more insulting to minorities who are essentially being told that you’re not smart enough to get a college education so we make special recruiting rules just for you.

Presuming for a minute that Proposition 209 is the reason minority enrollment has dropped in UC unviersities, so what? That would mean that UC universities are actually judging enrollment applications based on their merits (gasp!) and those who don’t meet the requirements are not being accepted – as per the law.

The problem is that the California Teachers Union have undermined education in CA to the point that minorities are given worthless diplomas. They can’t legitimately get into a university on the merit of their scholarship. That is the WHOLE problem.

I’m with PCD. Then that problem is compounded by nonsense like the stuff this Maria Ledesma character is promoting because we got colleges admiting a lot of students who can’t handle the courses and ultimately end up dropping out of school.

Maybe the diversity crowd should stop looking solely at the numbers of minorities on campus and pay attention to what percentage of them are graduating.

If University of California regents are truly concerned for the plight of minority students, they would advocate higher academic standards in public schools, competent teachers, an end to PC psychobabble-as-curriculum, cleaning up the public schools that have become gang and drug-infested hellholes, and last (but not least) strengthening minority families so that kids do not grow up in broken homes.

Any chance they will even consider this agenda? The last proposal of mine (strengthening minority families) is a societal change largely beyond government’s ability to deliver. The rest is common sense that does not necessarily involve spending a gazillion tax dollars. Getting rid of Proposition 209 better fits their crusading mentality. In other words – I won’t hold my breath that things will improve anytime soon.

The problem in these poor areas is a lack of education. I am far from racist when I say that these areas are mostly minorities who have been spiritually broken through decades of oppression. We need to get a kickstart of education in these areas, but personally I don’t think it should be based on race. I think it should be based on income.
But I mean who cares? Let’s just call it reperations. Black people have had it hard in this country, and still face racism. Why is giving someone a chance so horrible of a thing? Does it bother you so much?

Until we stop social promotion, and yes, I am a sub teacher and kids still get promoted even if they should be failing and if you are a good athlete its even worse — they pass regardless. The overcrowing of our schools with the Mex illegals is crushing us here in Alabama and its only getting worse cuz NOBODY in our goverment wants to lose a single VOTE.
Our city boards of ed are so over-taxed they promote to get em out and IF YOU CAN’T GET INTO COLLEGE WITHOUT PASSING A TEST YOU SHOULD STAY THE HELL OUT OF THE COLLEGE but alas, the mexican kids are getting full ride scholoships.
What a world we live in.

This allowing students into college that don’t have the intelligence to handle the course work is nothing more than a money grubbing device, and the schools know it. You lose 20percent of your tuition each week, until after the 5th week, then you get no refund. How many people drop out of school when they can get a decent refund??? Many years ago the University of Iowa had 900 students ‘bunking’ in the cafeteria of one of the student housing buildings. By the end of the 1st quarter all of those students had rooms. At the time it was basically 6000.00 for a Semester at U of I. Soooo if they all left after the 5th week the University made over $5,000,000 for nothing, and that was 20 years ago. – Lorica

Madeline,”education” is what they need and can NOT get it in the Federal insitutes. Kick start is a good idea (if that’s what they require- or duct tape) and when they begin demonstrating skills displaying their appreciation of the near half century handouts already granted, as opposed to skilz, they can begin to educate themselves. Not one soul deserves a single dime based on skin color. Get over that crap and move on with the progressive efforts of those who want to better the world they live in.

Start with an attitude that is determined to create and then do so. Create!

To use a wrestling analogy, if you don’t like it on the bottom, move. Get out. Head up. Get off your belly. Get to your knees, elbows in and sit out or stand up. Move!

Saying the teacher’s unions are promoting social promotion is inaccurate. While this may have been true in the past, it is not longer the case. A case in point is made by the cover of the most recent teachers magazine which features an article with the title “Social promotion teaches students not to try.”

In this fact, the teachers union is acting to serve as a counterbalance to the political bureaucracy, which still favors social promotion to make its numbers look good.

In effect, the teachers unions are trying to protect the academic freedom of teachers to allow them to honestly assess what students, know without political interference.